Allan Todd

Background

I live in Keswick, and have two daughters and two grandchildren. I was a History teacher for over 20 years, and then did supply teaching in North Cumbria. Currently, I write GCSE, A Level and IB History textbooks and revision guides; and am also a History examiner. I am a member of Greenpeace, the Coalition of Resistance, and Unite Against Fascism; and am Secretary of Keswick Chess Club.

As a member of a genuinely ‘non-Establishment’ party, I would be an active and effective voice for ordinary people who are being forced to pay the price for a crisis they didn’t cause. ALL the other parties standing in this constituency – including New Labour and UKIP – are committed to some form of ‘neo-liberalism’: this is just a fancy way of describing what is essentially an even harsher version of the unfair economic and social policies begun by Thatcher‘s vicious ‘spiv’ governments in the 1980s.

As a Green MP, I will consistently oppose austerity, and instead try to make the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes. I am also committed to highlighting the real ‘scroungers’ in this country (ie the wealthy corporations who receive massive tax breaks and public contracts), and would do whatever was possible to stop these wealthy scroungers from pocketing so much of taxpayer’s money.

I have been a member of the Green Party – and of Green Left, the eco-socialist grouping within the Green Party – for almost four years. Previously, I had been an active member of the Labour Party for 20 years, before it became New Labour and left ordinary people’s concerns behind.
The Green Party is the ONLY mainstream party which recognises that the fight for social and economic justice, and the struggle to prevent catastrophic climate change, are linked. Hence the Green Party stands for policies which, by ending de-regulated capitalism and privatisation of public services, will be for the common good.

1. What do you plan to do in order to make sure you remain ‘in touch’ with the electorate?

Holding weekly local ‘surgeries’, in different parts of the constituency, on a rotating basis, to ensure ALL constituents have regular access. This would be in addition to contact via letters & e-mails.

2. What makes you the best candidate for this constituency?

As the Green Party candidate, I am the only candidate standing who is in favour of:
• stopping the privatisation of the NHS, and bringing it ALL back to public ownership and control
• creating a fairer society by ending ALL aspects of austerity, and making wealthy corporations and individuals pay their fair share of taxes
• tackling the looming climate crisis by pushing for a rapid move to safe renewable energy, and opposing nuclear energy and the continued use of fossil fuels – including a complete ban on fracking
• scrapping the hugely-expensive plan to replace Trident

The Green Party – working with Plaid Cymru and the SNP – is likely to hold the balance of power in what most observers think will be a hung parliament. The more Green MPs elected, the stronger such an alliance will be.

3. What has the current Member achieved that you believe has been successful?

The existing MP has, to his credit, opposed some aspects of austerity and the anti-democratic ‘Gagging’ Act – but, as a New Labour member, he is prepared to accept the further austerity cuts already decided by this Tory-Lib Dem coalition. This is not acceptable – the people being hurt by these measures are not the ones who caused the economic collapse of 2008. We need to enforce the rule of making the guilty pay for what they did – not rewarding them with tax cuts.

4. In your opinion, is austerity working? What should we take from the state of the economy during this Government’s tenure?

The Green Party correctly sees austerity as an excuse and opportunity by the Tory & Lib Dem supporters of ‘neo-liberalism’ (which used to be known as ‘Thatcherism’) to privatise all remaining public services, AND transfer wealth to the super-rich. In this respect, austerity has been ‘successful’: while wealthy corporations are allowed to get away with tax avoidance and tax evasion, ordinary people have been forced to pay the price. As a result, in Copeland we have over 30,000 families on less than £10,000 a year (a 60% increase since 2010!), 7000 families in fuel poverty, and many more dependent on food banks. All this is the direct result of the Lib Dem leadership’s five-year support for this Tory-led coalition.

5. Does (legal) immigration need more limitations or is it vital for the UK?

No limitations are needed – for two reasons:
• those coming here make a real positive contribution to the economy
• by allowing right-wing parties to make immigration an ‘issue’, we let them deflect attention from those responsible for any associated problems – such as employers paying low wages, and private landlords charging excessive rents (both these groups are among the real ‘scroungers’, benefitting from government handouts paid for by ordinary taxpayers)

6. Many people are concerned about the cost of living in the UK, with wages having failed to rise in line with the price of food, energy and rent in recent years. How can this be corrected?

Green Party policy is to:
• raise the minimum wage to £10 per hour (paid for by a new wealth tax on the top 1%, a ‘Robin Hood Tax’ on the banks, and cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion by the wealthy)
• cut energy bills and so end fuel poverty by taking energy companies back into public ownership and control
• abolish the bedroom tax, place a cap on rents, and build 500,000 social housing units at affordable rents

7. How would you like to see the NHS change in the future in order to become more successful?

I fully support Green Party plans to keep our NHS public, and end the scandal of private health-care companies profiting by hiving off the more ‘desirable’ parts. The Green Party would also ensure that wealthy corporations and individuals would pay more taxation, in order to give the NHS sufficient funds.

8. What measures do you think need to be taken to decrease unemployment, particularly youth unemployment and those who have never been employed?

One immediate step would be to implement the Green Party policy of ‘1 million climate jobs’ (drawn up in conjunction with several trade unions), which would see a massive expansion of renewable energy projects (including proper insulation of existing homes). Another would be the Green Party plan to allow and enable local councils build 500,000 affordable eco-friendly social housing units.

9. Does the lack of diversity in Parliament equate to a lack of representation?

Yes – as well as the social inequality and global warming crises, there is also a crisis of democracy. We need parliament to better reflect the social make-up of this country, including more MPs drawn from ordinary backgrounds. The current ‘Westminster elites’ – of ALL of the mainstream parties – have no understanding of the implications of the cuts they vote for, or of the genuine concerns of ordinary people.

10 . If an EU Referendum were to take place, how would you encourage your constituents to vote and why?

To vote to stay in. Although the EU needs to be made more democratic (by shifting power from the European Commission to the European Parliament), multi-national co-operation is the only way to stand up to the increasing power of global transnational corporations – for instance, by exposing and stopping the threats posed by trading agreements such as TTIP. Also, international bodies and popular mass movements, acting together, stand a greater chance of controlling the large fossil-fuel companies currently increasing global warming by their race for ever-greater profits – their pollution doesn’t stop at national borders.

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